Fireproof and/or resistant characteristics are highly desirable for residential homes. As most dwellings are constructed of wood materials, particularly the underlying structure thereof, such edifices are susceptible to rapid destruction if a fire is present. As such, certain localities and even states have enacted building codes for home residences that require a certain degree of fire and/or flame resistance in order to permit sufficient time for escape or potentially for actual extinguishing of a fire within the subject building. Wallboard, ceiling materials, carpets, flooring, oriented strand board, wall and floor joists have all been accorded to some degree a level of fire and/or flame resistance to meet these requirements. However, although such dwelling building materials and components have been manufactured with certain fireproof and/or fire resistance properties (such as with certain coatings on wood materials, certain hard-to-burn wallboards, and the like), there has not been an effective foldable stowing stairway with such necessary and desirable qualities.
Foldable stowing stairways, which may be folded upwardly into the ceiling or towards another elevated level or surface, have been used in residential homes for many years (for access to attic space, for instance). Such stairways are advantageous because they allow a stair to be folded out of the way when space concerns are present, so that the stair no longer occupies floor space on the lower floor or other surface from which a user wishes to ascend. Such stairways essentially amount to articulated ladders wherein the siderails of the ladders are jointed to allow them to be folded up, and then the folded siderails may themselves be folded between opposing joists of a ceiling to full stowage.
Such foldable stowing stairways appear to be a weak link in the fire protection desired within such a dwelling. Even if the walls, ceilings, joists, floors, etc., are provided in a fire resistant state, the cut-out opening through which the stairway is commonly attached may act as an unwanted conduit of heat and flames thus potentially exacerbating the situation were a fire to be present. As such, it seems imperative that an effectively fire and/or flame resistant foldable stowing stairway, particularly one that will provide the same general level of fire protection as the other dwelling building components and materials would accord greater reliability to the homebuilder, not to mention the resident and the insurer.
To date, the only known article provided with any such fire resistance rating is of all-metal construction, specifically from aluminum (as such is a lightweight metal permitting ease in installation from a weight perspective). Although such a metal provides well-known and effective staircase functions, in terms of high temperature exposure such a material lacks the ability to remain dimensionally stable when the melting point thereof has been exceeded. Since aluminum does not exhibit a sufficiently high melting temperature to meet the requirements of the pertinent and accepted ANSI tests and ASTM test methods for dwellings, it is not a stretch to deduce that upon actual use, were a fire to ignite in a subject dwelling including such an apparatus, the metal portions thereof may expand, detach, or distort from the ceiling (or floor) thereby creating the potential hazard noted above. An improved construction that would not only function properly as a pulldown stairway as well as accord fire protection and proofing simultaneously would be highly desirable for the residential building industry. As of today, there have been no such improvements accorded this industry.